The Lesser Voice
by Fxeni
Summary: (Part Two of Silver Blood) The nightmare that was thought to be ended turns out to only be a set up for the beginning. With Truth gone and Evil eagerly seeking to destroy light, it turns out that the last hope is found in the most unlikely place.
1. Nightmares

_Silence spoke more then words ever had before, as Fxeni stood alone in the Hall of the Gods. Memories, feelings, pain, happiness; every thought and remembrance of the past events came rushing at him in a cloud of anguish. For the moment, he was alone, to look over what had happened, how it had occurred, and the sacrifices made. All of his friends had suffered from what had happened... while the world cheered, he and his friends mourned, in their own way. Some cried while alone, some went off to find a new happiness to fill the hole left in their hearts...while Fxeni stood in the Hall of the Gods, recalling events as he stared at a small, gleaming, black pearl in his outstretched palm..._

* * *

The quiet night remained just that: quiet. But Kidria was uneasy with herself, unable to sleep and full of worry about the others. Two weeks had passed since Celos, Fupac, and Halystaru had headed north with great goals in mind. No sign had been seen since: No messages came, no friends returned victorious, and curiously, no pale faced warriors had been seen either. It was assumed by many that the two sides had basically destroyed each other, but no one had the guts to go out and actually look. So, for a time, the world was calm and slightly relaxed.

It wasn't that way for Daleth and Kidria.

Neither knew particularly why, but they both believed that it wasn't over. So, all they were allotted to do was worry and wait, wait for any sign or hope that might appear to them over the horizon...whether it be the face of a friend or a foe. To a certain extent, Kidria was getting desperate just to see any known face, even if it was pale. The unknown was excruciating for both of them. But Kidria knew the answer already...she just didn't know why.

Daleth, meanwhile, sat in the other room, hands resting on his chin, while he basked in the warmth of the fireplace as he wallowed in his own thoughts. Despite all the problems, incredible events, and revelations from Truth and Evil, he didn't get one thing. Why was Evil so damn eager to kill Kidria? The girl didn't hold any particular threat, and he doubted that Evil just felt that she had to go for no reason...

A light wind by the window took Daleth's attention away and shoved it into total awareness and caution. He picked up his lance and pranced over to the window, where he found nothing but stars in the sky and a cloudless, breezeless, moonless night. He raised an eyebrow to no one in particular, then turned back around and headed back for his chair.

The breeze came again, stronger this time, and Daleth was convinced that this wasn't a coincidence any longer. Slower, more cautious this time, he approached the window once more, with a small feeling of dismay. He knew it was odd...but he had felt something on that wind he knew had bad intentions. He peeked his head out the window once more, searching for something, anything, and his eyes focused on a small group of torches in the distance. He grimaced, his eyes couldn't make anything out in this black night. He missed his pet wyvern, Cerulean...she always had a sense of smell and vision that kept Daleth safe and content. He hoped to see her again one day...

_"Ah...but I am here, dear Daleth."_

The young Elvaan turned on his heels in an abrupt motion, nearly knocking himself down in the process. He found himself staring at his once loyal pet, now corrupted into madness: Cerulean.

_"Odd. You don't SEEM happy to see me." _The Wyvern cocked its head with a smirk grin.

"I missed the old Cerulean, not this atrocity." Daleth spat as he talked. "Cerulean died to the Shadow Lord weeks ago. Whatever you are, you are no longer my loyal pet...my friend."

This seemed to erk the Wyvern a bit, but Cerulean shook it off and tsk-tsked. _"So much anger. Shame you'll never put it to the proper use." _Daleth ignored this, and the pale-white lizard continued. _"I've come here for two reasons, neither of which I think you will appreciate. The first is to brag in your slimy face...and the other, to fix any holes in my intentions."_

Daleth's anger turned to confusion. "Brag?"

The Wyvern nodded. _"Oh yes, my dear Daleth. We have much in store for you tonight. But I wanted to reveal your loss, and in fact, thank you for helping us along. You see...you were winning in the first place. We were just losing on purpose."_

Daleth stared at the wyvern with an emotionless look. _"I'll admit, we did make one mistake. A tiny miscalculation that left us reeling...until we realized how to use it against you. We never knew that Taelos had two split families. So, when we sensed the strength that the one you call 'Taea' held, we immediately assumed she was his heir. We did not know about 'Celos'. So, with the five of us aligned, and believing ourselves to be perfect, we left to conquer the world."_

_"It was apparent by the first battle how weak we really were. In our perfection, we would have no trouble whatsoever with Truth or any pathetic Elvaans." _The wyvern gave an amused look toward Daleth, but continued without any pause. _"And so, Takmir fell, but even then he did give you some trouble, I believe. But from then on, it was all planned. Planned to let you fight us one at a time. Planned that we would lose. Planned that we would be trapped by Truth. And planned that once the final one of us fell, Truth would die, and so would you."_

_"Did you not wonder why we always faced you one on one? Why, despite so many chances to kill you on the spot, we held ourselves back? Hell, I had to literally drop Truth into Celos' and Halystaru's lap. I even gave a torch to Celos in the forest. But during that battle, we intended to capture the girl. We released her to anger, tried our best to throw her into an incredible rage, and it worked. She even impressed ME with the strength she exercised when she attacked one of us in the forest, and it was enough to get herself sprayed with our blood, my blood, of Evil. And so, she became ours."_

_"However, we had to wait until the last battle in Sandoria to finally destroy Truth, we needed to keep it around so that you could 'capture us', which was easily remedied. We simply gave our hosts their weapons back. If we had destroyed Truth at the beginning, you would have sought out Light, and Light is our only threat now...which is why I'm here."_

_"That's right Daleth. We're now perfect, stronger then you can hope to imagine. And, before you get any misplaced hopes about the savior of Light, you might want to look out the window at the torches you saw a few moments ago."_

Daleth, struck with utter shock and horror, turned away from the wyvern and walked back to the window a final time, expecting a trap or some such trick. As soon as he stuck his head out the stone hole, he was met with the roar of an army of hundreds...no, thousands, of Beastmen, collaborating outside the Bastok walls. They all held swords and shields, or spears, or some form of crude weapon, be it a torch or a club, armor at the ready, and waiting for a cry of command to attack. Their combined cries of fire, glee, and rage all came as one to Daleth, and he was struck with a terror he had never felt before. The helpless, sleeping city of Bastok was about to be ravaged by the force of all of Vanadeil's Beastman, and Daleth knew that no matter how fast Bastok responded to this threat, it would only be minutes before the city was lost and burnt to the ground.

He slowly turned back to the smiling Wyvern in shock and anger. "All this for light? Why do you fear it so deeply? And...What the hell IS light? Only you know its form." He shook his fist at the condescending Cerulean.

The Wyvern merely shook its head. _"Not a what. A who. And as for where it is, well...they say that all questions are answered in death. Maybe you'll know then." _The pale lizard flapped its wings and soared over to the windowsill, then turned back to the staring Elvaan. _"One thing I will never understand about you creatures is your spirit. All is lost, both you and me know that. Yet, we also both know that despite the loss of all this hope, you will still turn right around, grab the girl, and try to escape the city. Hehe...sorry. I'm not going to wish you luck. It would be a waste of my breath."_

And with one final look of total victory, the wyvern turned from Daleth and flew into the night sky. However, Daleth was no longer paying attention. He had turned around and had run as quickly as he could into the next room where Kidria slept, intent on fleeing for their lives.


	2. Escape

Captain of the guard and General of the Bastokian army, Juliuz, was not known for his simple, peaceful lectures and his immense love for his men. While many did complain he wasn't exactly "Decent" to his men, (harsh, even.) it didn't take a great mind to see that he knew what he was doing. His personally trained guards and warriors always came out top notch, usually skyrocketing into a high position under the Bastokian president himself. Each and every one of his men was tough, muscular, intelligent, and brutal on the battlefield. This showed what kind of a man Juliuz was.

But even his immense strength and spirit faltered under such heavy duress.

Bastok, in the night, without warnings or signs of any such aggression, had come under attack by the Beastmen. The first guard to spot them had been asleep at the post, only woken up when the Orcish war machines blew the front gate apart with their weaponry. It had gone downhill from there.

Now, chaos had spread to the first part of the city. The first line of men, usually just used as a wall of meat, had fallen with little trouble to the Yagudo, Gigas, Orcs, Sahagin, and Quadavs. Juliuz and his best men fought off the invading armies while disorder flowed freely, blood of both beasts and men flying in every direction and spattering the streets with its colors, turning the gray, mechanical, Bastok into a festival of red liquid.

Juliuz, being the smart man he was, knew he was fighting a losing battle. But his job was to keep the Beastmen from the main part of the civilian's housing; the civilians were still evacuating. He had retreated a short distance to the bridge that connected the Market to the Port, as such a small street kept the Beastmen in check. Any civilians who had lived in Port were now undoubtedly slain, as there was no time to warn them before the creatures had slain them in their sleep.

Unfortunately, although Juliuz remained smart and steadfast, he was plain outnumbered, and the Beastmen were seeing ways through his wall of men. Many had taken Hume boats, and used them to cross to the other side of the river, avoiding Juliuz' barricade entirely. However, the Captain knew that there would be more men waiting for them at the other side.

His mind returned from the thoughts of battle plans into the battle itself as a random Orcish spear flung itself at Juliuz' head. He easily dodged it with a quick jerk of his body to the right, but one of his men was not so lucky, as he fell to the street gurgling in his own liquids. Two more Yagudo charged at the General, both intent on spearing him on their katanas, but the Captain simply sidestepped their charge and cut them into pieces with a quick horizontal lash of his sword. Two more Quadavs quickly took their places, apparently mages, as they bound the captain with a quick spell, leaving him helpless as they started to cast powerful magic. Juliuz gave a command to the air, and two sets of archers let loose their arrows, filling the two mages with stone and metal, whereupon they quickly fell to the ground. However, the captain was still unable to move his arms or legs. Only his eyes could watch as a Giga, full of arrows and too stupid to actually feel pain; rushed to smash the captain into a bruised pulp.

Juliuz did not fear death, but he did not welcome it. He was willing to die here, tonight, for his country, but he would still take life over death any day of the week. Before the Giga actually reached Juliuz, he was stopped as a Lance was smashed into its skull by a blur, whereupon the Giga's eyes rolled into its head, and it fell off the bridge and into the river, taking three Beastmen with it. The captain felt the invisible, magical binds release him, and he turned his head to see a young girl and a pale looking Elvaan with a lance staring at him.

"We need a way out of the city, NOW!" The Elvaan was frantic.

Juliuz simply ignored him with a casual glance. "Idiot. Evacuate with all the other civilians, at the markets. Why the hell did you run into the huge battle expecting a way out from HERE?" He fended off two more Gigas as he yelled at the said Elvaan.

There was a long pause before the General heard a response. "...Because the civilians are dead, and the Market is now filled with every Beastman and its mother."

Juliuz stopped with a final slash at a Giga and turned slowly to meet the Elvaan face to face. "...The market is lost?"

"Every person was killed shortly after the men holding the market gate fell. They were no match for what they met there. And you can trust me in believing that neither you nor I am either. We need a way out, and now."

Juliuz turned back towards his men and gave a shout, telling his men to hold the line as he got the remaining civilians out. The men gave a proud, if not empty hearted, cheer, and Juliuz turned and nodded toward the Elvaan and girl.

"Your names?"

"You can call me Daleth. This is Kidria. Understand that her life takes priority over mine."

The captain nodded again. "The names Juliuz. Follow me." Daleth and Kidria went after the General in silence as he left for the other end of the port. He knew that he had left all his men to die, and that they knew it too. But both he and his men also realized that the Captain was making the right choice.

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Moments later, the captain arrived in a small, secluded, quiet part of the port. The streets here had been stained red, but whatever had been killed or HAD killed, was now gone, and the place was quiet and desolate. Half sneaking, half running, the Captain led the way through a labyrinth of doorways and alleys, avoiding the open areas as best he could. Daleth had never been to this part of Bastok before, he hadn't in fact even known it had existed, but now was not a time to question where it came from. The simple fact that he and Kid might make it out alive was good enough for him. At one doorway, the captain stopped dead still, and then jerked to the side of the doorway, pulling Daleth and Kidria with him. A second later, a small troupe of Orcs had passed by the doorway, but had kept walking when they had not seen any of them inside the doorway. Shortly after they passed, the General snuck up behind the orcs and cut their throats before they had a chance to react. He spat on their corpses just before he continued to lead the way out of the city.

Eventually, the three of them went into a passageway that lead beneath the streets and into a series of corridors with water flowing ankle deep. Daleth suspected these were the sewers, and this was the only place in the city where the water was not muddled with blood from men or Beastmen...not that the brown, disgusting color it had was much better. Regardless, they trampled on through the water through several tunnels unchecked until they finally reached a brick wall.

Juliuz turned around, speaking quickly and quietly. "Behind this wall is a small, unused tunnel that leads to the mines. Once you exit the caves, make your way to Selbina. You should be able to commandeer some type of boat there, whereupon you should travel to Windurst. Let them know what happened here. Windurst is the final of the four cities, which is left standing. We cannot affor-"

The Captain jerked around, steadied himself, and drew his weapon. Daleth, also aware of the change, jerked around at almost the same time with his lance. The two of them remained inert, but seemed to be waiting for something. Kidria, however, remained clueless.

She gave an odd look. "What is it?"

Daleth grumbled softly. "A splash. I heard a splash."

"So what? There's water all around, of course we're going to hear splashing."

"But sewage doesn't splash...or swim."

Almost on cue, the water in front of Daleth began to churn. It began as a soft, light spinning of the ugly, dirtied water in front of them, but the water began to foam in a sick color, which suddenly stopped, and then exploded. Two Sahagin burst from the seam in the water, spears drawn and with gleeful looks on their faces. Daleth and Juliuz were both ready for the attack, while Kidria simply looked disgusted at all the dark goo the Sahagin had splashed on her clothing.

The Elvaan dragoon and the Hume captain charged at the two fish creatures, which swiped at the approaching aggressors happily. Daleth didn't anticipate the slipperiness of the water, and was too late to stop himself from one of the blows. Regardless, he managed to turn himself enough to only take a light wound to the shoulder. Juliuz simply knocked aside the other Sahagin's spear with his shield; them impaled the creature on his blade. The other Sahagin seemed shocked at the sudden lost of his comrade, but quickly turned to anger and dove back in the water. Juliuz gave a shout to kill the creature quickly; Daleth barely heard it over the roar of the adrenaline in his blood. He poked various areas of the water, looking for any sign of the fish, but finding nothing but rubbish and sewage. A moment later, there was a inhuman high pitched, ear splitting scream that tore Daleth's senses apart, until he turned and saw the Sahagin behind him emitting the offending cry. He quickly put it out of its misery by heaving his lance, which sliced through the air like a dart, and left the Sahagin hanging on the well with the spear in its belly.

Daleth walked over to the bleeding beast and tore his weapon from the wall, letting the lifeless fish fall quietly to the ground in a heap. Poor Kidria had been sprayed with the Sahagin's blood, and looked absolutely disgusted. Juliuz walked over to Daleth, who turned around and glanced back at the captain.

"What was that...attack it did? Some kind of scream meant to scare us? A battle cry?"

Juliuz shook his head. "No, it was a kind of siren." Daleth thought he heard a few animalistic grunts in the ceiling above him, but ignored it. "He was crying for help."

Daleth stared. "He just told the other Sahagin in the area where we are?!"

"No...he just let every BEASTMAN in BASTOK know where we are."

The grunting above grew in sound, and a large parade of feet knocked small bits of stone from the ceiling, splashing into the water. Daleth grew pale and walked over to Kid, while Juliuz just stood by the wall, studying it. After a moment, he seemed to come to a realization, then punched a stone on the wall. It went in with a large hollow sound, the stone wall swung around, revealing a dark passageway into nothingness.

"Get to Windurst. I must stay and die with my men."

Daleth gave him a sad look. "You can come with us...there is honor in learning when to run."

Juliuz shook his head, and sighed. "I will not leave until I know that my men can come with me. There is no honor in leaving them to die."

The wall swung shut, separating Daleth and Kidria from Juliuz, and leaving them in a world of darkness. The two of them turned in silence and walked quietly down the hall together.

The last thing Juliuz saw as he turned from the wall was a flash of white, followed by a black, curving, rune covered, spinning scythe flying through the air, aimed directly for his face.


	3. Forthcomings

The two of them broke out into the open air, gasping for clean breath, a few hours later. The mines had served as a perfect funnel and holder for the smoke and smell of blood, choking the two of them into near unconsciousness. Kidria had not complained however...she remained complacent and detached. Daleth felt sorry for her...it was a lot to take in for someone so young to see so much death and violence.

What Daleth did not know is that all that had very little to do with Kidria's mood.

All along the way she had urged Daleth to move faster, hurry along; Daleth had only taken it as the nervous ramblings of a scared young girl...but he had not disliked her for that. The truth was that Kidria knew they were being followed; a voice small and unnoticed had given her insights into what her senses did not normally see. Now, the voice was getting louder...if you could even call it a voice. It had turned into a cautious feeling of immense tension that left Kidria's body rippling with energy. It was readying her for something. The young girl was scared, but the "voice" or second soul inside of her was brave and strict, uncaring about the little girl as a person, and only worried about the body's safety. It was an odd feeling.

Still, Kidria pressed onward with Daleth in tow, and, despite her few uneasy hours of rest and her empty belly, she felt no hunger, knew no fatigue, and had no pain. In fact, she was gaining in strength. Kidria told herself it was merely adrenaline coursing through her blood, but why did adrenaline enhance her sights, sounds, and senses?

Daleth, however, simply plodded along, ever watchful of his surroundings. It was many hours before the two of them reached the Valkrum Dunes. The trip had been stanched with the smell of burned stone and blood which drifted from Bastok, which had faded with distance...only to be replaced with a new smell of burning wood as they traveled north.

Daleth assumed it was merely the smell of the lost Sandoria, and thought little more about it. After mumbling a grumbling comment about the awful smell, Kidria started to speak, but cut herself off in mid sentence and did not speak again. When the two travelers finally reached the tall, wooden gates of Selbina, Daleth was shocked to see that it was Kidria who drew her weapon first.

"What is it?" Daleth was quizzical. The young girl did not reply. "Kidria, what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "You didn't see them?"

Daleth stared at her "Uh....huh?"

The young girl coughed. "Neither did I. But she did."

"You ok Kid? You've been quiet...and now you're scaring me."

"Something's killing me."

The girl sudden burst into a sprint, and jumped forward into the gates of the small port town. Daleth was shortly after her with lance in hand, screaming her name as he followed, until he jumped around a corner to see Kidria standing atop the hill staring at the remnants of the blazing fishing village.

Every building, every boat, every last man, woman, child, and animal had been either burnt, broken, or slashed into debris and pieces. The sand, normally a soft, glowing silver, now was a sooted black color and soaked with clotted dark blood. The sight made sent Daleth's empty belly reeling and turning, and he was forced to turn away to keep from losing his lunch. Kidria merely stared, untouched by the desolation before her.

There came a vacant, distant, outburst from the other side of the small town, and both Elvaans turned toward the outburst at the same time. It was not a cry of mercy, but rather one of an angered man. Lance in Daleth's hand and sword in Kidria's, the two of them jogged over to the south side of the demolished city.

* * *

The young paladin crashed into the wooden shed, sending splinters flying everywhere as other broken pieces of the wood tore into the young Humes flesh and bone, ripping his skin apart. Still too stubborn to give up, the Hume got up, blood dripping from his nose and mouth, and leaned on what was left of the shed as he used what was left of his strength to lift his sword and shield back up in front of his foes.

The only reason Chase had lasted this long was because of the anger these things had given him. Chase had arrived on boat to find the town in mid slaughter less then an hour ago, and in his bitter rage, he did not know what he was throwing himself into when he fought these strange five foes. Pale faced and clad in black armor, Chase did not actually recognize these things as his once sane friends. To him, they were merely another enemy, and although, as a paladin, Chase could take a lot of punishment, he had reached his limit. Too much more would leave him dead.

Regardless, cowardice was overridden with another wave of anger as the blonde Hume rushed back towards the white haired Mithra with a black axe, who met his charge with a sidestep, followed by a crushing kick to his chest. Chase gasped for air and coughed fluids as the Galka stepped forward and smashed the paladin into the sand, leaving Chase choking on dirt.

The five of the pale warriors did not actually view their opponent as a challenge; he was merely a doll they could throw around until the one who they were actually waiting for arrived. The simple fact that Chase was still alive was a miracle; the chance that he would be living for much longer was a near impossibility. The levitating Taru with a black scythe waved his hand horizontally, and Chase was raised off the ground like a puppet on strings, and then placed back on his feet. Still reeling, Chase's watered eyes couldn't even focus straight any more. All he saw was five blurs before him, simply staring. There came a cry to his right, and a blur rushed past Chase and sent the unaware Galka stumbling backwards. A second blur was shortly behind, which wildly sliced at the floating taru, which clumsily dodged the blows until it was caught with a fist to the face and reeled backwards. The other three pale faced fighters, now aware of their new attackers, were shortly upon the two new aggressors, but Chase had recovered and now rejoined the fight.

The pale Elvaan woman was the first to fend off Chase, with her curving sword and black shield hand in hand. Chase smashed the guarding Elvaan with his own shield, but the pale warrior easily shook it off, and tried to leg sweep Chase, who stepped out of range of the attack. Again, Chase charged the Elvaan, this time in a body blow, which was enough to knock the Elvaans shield out of the way which Chase finished with a sword strike at the black body armor. The blow bounced right off, surprising the paladin at the strength of the armor.

The pale Elvaan smiled and smashed Chase on the nose with the butt of her sword, causing more blood to erk out of Chase's nostrils. Stunned but still far too angry to feel pain, Chase grabbed the Elvaans hand, turned himself around, and used his body as a lever to heave the Elvaan over his shoulder and into a wooden fence. Pieces of wood and debris filled the air in a choking cloud, leaving Chase with a small amount of self satisfaction.

The Paladin turned to see two curving blades flying at his face. Chase clumsily raised his shield to defect the blows, and was far too slow to move out of the way of the following side kick given to him by the pale Hume. Chase stumbled backwards, eyes seeing spots from the immense beating, and was soon sent into flight as a crushing uppercut to his chin from the pale Hume sent him directly into the arms of the Pale Elvaan, who had recovered herself. Without hesitation, the Elvaan swung her body and heaved Chase like a football twenty feet directly onto a stone fall.

No longer able to move his arms, Chase peeled off the wall and fell to the ground in a heap. His breathing was rapid and harsh, and he no longer even had the energy to open his eyes. It was a struggle in itself simply to keep breathing.

However, after a moment, Chase began to feel warmth soothe his body. The new heating feeling was far too comforting to be his own blood, but with this newfound feeling, Chase felt his strength return, and he was able to pick himself off the ground. He stood up lazily, as if he had just awoken, and found that he was no longer so bruised and battered. A small turn of the head revealed this salvation; he found Halystaru and Fupac staring at him up on the stairs fifteen feet away, with Fupac's scythe drawn and Halystaru's healing magic ready to be put to use. Chase grinned roguishly, wiped the blood from his nose, and proceeded directly back into the fight.

* * *

"_They're like flies. They keep coming from god knows where."_

"_You act like they're giving us a challenge."  
_

"_Not at all. I'm simply tired of this game of cat and mouse. Can we just kill the girl and get it over with? I'm eager for a true massacre."_

"_I agree. Unleash it upon them. No more toying, we paid for playing around last time."_

"_Perfection...it feels good to have it once more."_

"_Begin the rites."_

They all spoke as one:

_"When dark recalls all it has to offer, _

_Renewing the object it once held,_

_The greatest power shall be found in the smallest possible voice,_

_The six shall stand against the five when one is felled,_

_But victory means death and losing means destruction; _

_All decided by the sister's choice." _

* * *

Time slowed, and then stopped. Fupac stopped his scythe in mid strike and stepped back, aware of a change in the five attackers before him. They had all stopped in their attacks and ceased all signs of awareness, but now, their bodies seemed to soak up the light from the flames of the buildings and the moonlight. Fupac's body began to grow cold, the air became chilly, and the stars in the sky dimmed for a moment. Shortly after, the world as Fupac knew it exploded with darkness.

All thoughts in his mind were suddenly replaced with cold, bitter memories of every sad event that had occurred in his life. His feelings were overwhelming with a terrible, consuming anger, and his spirit dimmed his mind with total fear. He felt utter despair, lost hope, total anger, unfulfilling sadness, and every other form of dark feeling he had ever felt in his life. He fell to the ground clutching his eyes and face, screaming for an invisible mercy. His fellow attackers all fell the ground with horrible looks on their faces, as well...except for Kidria. She seemed untouched.

And all at once, all these horrid thoughts and feelings were pulled from Fupac, sucked from his body like an invisible force ripping them from him like a vacuum, and pulled by an invisible string towards the five pale warriors. Their white skin grew even whiter, their black armor became a self preserved night, and they began to glow, and shimmer. The air around them began to move in waves, as if immense heat erupted from the five warriors, and then they began to move.

Fupac was not even aware that he was being attacked. He simply felt pain. His senses were far too slow, only quick enough to realize something was moving, and that he was being thrown around. In a few short seconds he found himself falling from the stone wall across town, with his fellow fighters all bloody, bleeding, bruised, and cut in hundreds of different wounds. He no longer saw any of the pale warriors, but he did sense that they were there.

Fupac pushed himself to his feet only to be thrown backwards once more into the stone wall, crushing his body like a tin can. He fell to the ground once again, this time unconscious, while the other four, Kidria, Chase, Halystaru, and Daleth, simply watched, helpless. Daleth, for the first time in many years, realized he was too scared to actually do anything useful. He was looking for an unseen foe, totally helpless to see anything that might be there. Then he heard an odd sound...humming. He turned to see the young Elvaan, Kidria, was humming a small song.

A purple glow appeared on the sand before Daleth, and the young dragoon was suddenly aware of a new presence. He turned to see a seal of summoning, which exploded in a seal of light, where a large wolf appeared that promptly howled at the dark moon in the sky. The wolf immediately broke into a huge rage, tearing into the nearby air, attacking invisible forms. Immense, powerful cuts and wounds suddenly tore into the hound, but the beast did not let up. It bit at random areas in the air, until its mouth found a target, and a small drop of silver blood appeared in the air. Fenrir, the wolf, seemed to smile at this small victory. The invisible attacks on Fenrir intensified, and the wolf began to slow with its loss of blood.

There was a cry, and Daleth turned his head to see Halystaru had gotten up and prepared a spell. There was a flurry of sand, and Daleth watched as the summoner Hume, Januz, turned to look at his compatriot beast fight off the attackers. As light filled Daleth's eyes and the view of Selbina faded, he watched Fenrir fall to the ground howling at the moon, which had turned a dark red color in the now starless night sky.


	4. Arrival

The voice was distraught:

"_Light is taking root."_

"_STOP HER. NOW!!!"_

* * *

Daleth closed the door to the bedroom behind him and turned back to his friends. Januz, Halystaru, and Fupac watched him as he shuffled back to his seat, obviously worried and filled with the worst of thoughts. He almost fell into his chair; totally exhausted, and simply closed his eyes, waiting for one of the others to speak. The other three mumbled softly to each other; but Daleth did not pay attention, he had his own worries at the moment.

After the events at Selbina, Halystaru had safely gotten the six of them back to the Crag of Mea, north of Windurst. None of them had left the fight without injuries, however. Chase and Kidria were the ones who took the majority of the brunt of the assault. Fupac, after being crushed against the wall when he had tried to rise to the opposition, had gotten a concussion, and now held a bag of ice to the wound. He had also gotten numerous bruises and scrapes, but his overall injuries were minor compared to the other's. Daleth's armor had been totally trashed and bent until it was nothing more then an unrecognizable blob of sheet metal. He had taken more blunt hits then cutting ones, and so had been bleeding internally until a small army of white mage Tarus had come and taken care of that. Halystaru had gotten a twisted ankle and a few broken ribs, and some sort of bonk to the head which left her confused and unable to keep her balance very well, but these injuries, too, had been fixed by the white mages. Chase had taken too many wounds to count, numerous broken bones and shattered ribs, and had been totally unconscious and unable to walk on the way back to Windurst; Daleth had carried him. His internal bleeding was far worse then Daleth's, and Chase had also attained a broken nose and several twisted limbs. He was lucky to be alive, and now rested in the back room in bed. Kidria's ailment was far apart from the others; on the outside she seemed perfectly fine with few bruises and cuts, all of which had healed quickly, but the girl had collapsed midway to Windurst into a coma. She had not wakened from it since, and neither doctor nor mage had yet determined what was wrong with her. She now rested in the back, near Chase, with a fever, crying out in spontaneously nonsensical sayings, and delusions filling her senses. Daleth was worried sick, but totally unable to do anything about what had happened to the girl.

Meanwhile, the Star Sybil, who was the leader of Windurst, had been informed about the occurrences outside the wall, and the entire city had been put on alert, and expected a strike from the beastmen and pale warriors anytime. They would not be caught off guard. However, for now, no signs had appeared of any such attack, and the night remained quiet. Daleth worried about Kidria more then any other...he saw her as a little sister, as one he should be watching out for...and the only ones who knew Kidria just as well as he did were now the ones trying to kill them.

Off in the distance, the quiet darkness was interrupted by the sound of some chocobo's quarking, a cry chocobos made when surprised or alarmed. Daleth shrugged the sound off, and turned his attention back to Halystaru; he had stood up and spoke.

"We are totally clueless as to what has happened here. I was under the impression that when we captured our enemies with Truth, Evil would be gone for good. Now it comes back, with its ranks fully filled, and now 'perfect'? I think that we should all explain what we know, and put the pieces together. Obviously, this is not as simple as we thought. I shall begin with my part of my story:"

"I shall start with what happened after I defeated Fxeni in Sandoria. The fight was more of an insult fest then it was an actual battle, and looking back upon it, it wasn't so much a challenge as it was a test. Not to say it was easy, but I certainly expected more of a fight from someone so strong. Regardless, Xenif and I fought off Fxeni and trapped the evil within the scythe he fought with, but lost Truth in the process... After the battle, Xenif and his friends were released from their purgatory, and upon his departure I noticed a small scripture glowing on Fein's blade. I took little notice of the riddle, but wrote it down, and then tracked down a few of the surviving civilians left in Sandoria. I left Fxeni with an Elvaan family who I knew, and asked them to take care of him. I left later that day for Jugner Forest to check on Celos."

"In the Forest, nothing seemed amiss. The woods were totally devoid of any naturalistic life, which bothered me, but my instinct told me there was no danger left in these woods any longer. It was many hours before I literally stumbled across Fupac..."

"He had been totally mangled. His body was twisted like a piece of metal wire, distorted, and out of shape. He was bleeding quite profusely, but I restored him to normal health with my magic. When he awoke, he babbled nonsensically about things I did not understand, 'Danger in the woods' or 'Bastok burning' or such. I knocked him back into conscious thought with a slap, and he immediately ran off towards the south, screaming that I should get Fxeni and get to Windurst."

"Not understanding a word he said or what was going on, I did what he suggested: I trekked back to Sandoria. What I found was yet another massacre of my home. The Elvaans who I had asked to care for Fxeni were all dead, slain and still bleeding from their throats. Fxeni himself, and his scythe, were gone. Upon finding this horror, I ran back south, happened upon Fupac who was running back north, and he led me to Selbina...where we found you." Halystaru nodded to Daleth, who again, heard the sound of panicked chocobo's in the distance. The small Taru plopped back into her chair, obviously still exhausted from the escape from Selbina. Fupac took this as his cue to stand up, and began his own part of the story.

"It wouldn't exactly be pompous to say my fight in Valkrum Dunes was no easy fight...I nearly lost my life, as well as Sreyaa. But we did win the fight, and smote Seryaa into the ground, and trapped the evil in her axe. I left them both at the Dunes, and immediately after the fight, grabbed Truth and ran for Jugner, intent on delivering the weapon to Celos, who needed its aid."

"In La Theine Plateau, clouds had gathered in a circle which hovered almost mechanically over the Forest. It poured rain and spat thunder upon the woods, and being a varied traveler, I know that normal weather does not do that. I entered Jugner, expecting an attack from a Pale Warrior at any time, but still being aware that I needed to find Celos, and quickly."

"I searched for a long time before I came across any sign that our friend had been there. All the time, the clouds rained upon me and shocked my senses with blasts of light and sound from the storm above. I relied on my ears and sense of smell solely as I searched, until I finally found the girl, sleeping in a small alcove, which was sheltered by the rain."

"As soon as I laid eyes upon Celos, I let my guard down. That was my mistake. Some immense force picked me from the ground like I was twig, and all that I was aware of was that I was being attacked. I was almost instantaneously knocked unconscious, and let fall to the ground. Badly hurt and knocked into an unnatural sleep, I drifted in and out of consciousness. I saw part of what happened; I viewed Celos attack Marzinquan, watched the Pale Warrior kill Quanzirman, and saw Celos brutally massacre Marz. I watched our friend, and fellow fighter, get sprayed by that blood....Celos is now one of them."

There was a long silence, followed by a small cry of a few Tarus outside in the streets. Daleth found the noises annoying, and now began to grow uneasy, but Fupac continued, unhindered.

"Halystaru came, and healed me. All the memories and things I had watched while in this 'coma' came rushing back to me, and I remember Celos 'reviving' Marzinquan, who headed for Bastok, laughing about its destruction. I realized what they were doing, they were off to revive their trapped friends. I yelled for Halystaru to get to Sandoria and get Fxeni out of there, but apparently it was too late. Evil got there first. Still, I headed south, intent on finding Seryaa and the black axe. Both of them were gone."

"At this time, panic began to overwhelm me. I was too scared and too frightened to actually explain to Halystaru what had happened, and I was alone. So I tried to get to Bastok to warn you Daleth, and get you and Kidria out of there, since Marzinquan had mentioned its destruction."

"I made it to Bastok in the middle of the attack. Beastmen had only breached the first gate, and I ran into the battle without hesitation, killing whatever foe I could. I met the captain of the guard, Juliuz, who told me to seek out his brother for help, and to let Windurst know of what had happened to Bastok. The Captain of the Guard knew he would not make it out alive, and that it was a losing battle, and I wanted to stay...but he said to tell you, or that he would cut my throat." Fupac laughed at that, but he was the only voice who did so. He cleared his throat. "I left and sought out Januz, and let him know about the events. Januz insisted on checking on his brother before he came to help us, and I let him go. I wasn't about to try and stop a man who was worried for his family. I soloed my way to Selbina, trying to get to Windurst, where I met up with Halystaru, and then the others, where we fought. So here I am."

At the mention of his brother's name, Januz had stood up and turned away from the others. Daleth watched the man, and was afraid for what Januz had found remaining from his brother, but stayed quiet.

A short pause followed before Daleth realized the entire group was watching him, waiting for his part of the story. He coughed nervously and straightened himself in his char, and began the reminiscence of his adventures. Daleth told them all of Cerulean's sudden arrival and the attack, as well as the trek from Bastok. However, he stayed silent about Kidria and the strange things Kidria had said and gone through, as they were probably inconsequential and unimportant...They were Daleth's worries, and his alone. The others, perplexed and just as confused as Daleth was, began to place the pieces together, and they all nodded sequentially when Daleth was finished with his tale.

Fupac turned to Halystaru. "What, exactly, is this poem you found on Fxeni's scythe?"

Halystaru ruffled in her cloak, pulled out a small piece of parchment, and read aloud.

"_When dark recalls all it has to offer,_

_renewing the object it once held,_

_The greatest power shall be found_

_in the smallest possible voice,_

_The six shall stand against the five when one is felled,_

_But victory means death and losing means destruction; all decided by the sister's choice."_

The final lines of the verse echoed around the room almost magically and mixed with the sound of the burning fire in the hearth. Daleth rubbed his chin, and leaned back, thinking.

"'_Dark recalls all it has to offer, renewing the object it once held'_...I think that refers to the perfection that the Pale Warriors now have. I don't understand the other four lines, but maybe it's a riddle pertaining to Evil's plans or intentions. But the smallest possible voice? Evil already has its 'perfection' so what could possibly be as strong as Darkness is....?"

"What about light?" Januz crossed his arms stubbornly.

Daleth nodded. "That would make sense. The smallest possible voice..."

Halystaru shrugged. "You mentioned that Cerulean mentioned being after 'Light' in Bastok. Then we saw the Pale Warriors in Selbina. What was at both Bastok and Selbina?"

Daleth stopped stroking his chin, and thought about that. He realized exactly what had been at both places, and then thought about that further. His eyes widened as he took the thought further, and his jaw slowly dropped as he comprehended that possibility. It all made sense...Light was right here in Windurst, right now. It was in this town, and in fact, right in the same building with Daleth. He looked toward the door in the back where his two friends slept...

Noises outside the window erupted into a flurry of shouts, and Daleth jumped from his seat. Fupac calmly walked to the window and opened it a small amount to look outside. He looked angry. "What the hell is with that racket?!"

Halystaru, realizing what Daleth had already, almost shot out of her chair, and almost shouted as she spoke, excited. "Fupac, get away from the window."

"Why?"

"I think someone is here. An assassin. One of the Pale Warriors."

"Huh? They're way back in Selbina. I don't care how strong they are, they aren't that fast!"

Daleth shook his head. "Wrong. We fought five Pale Warriors in Bastok. One of them was still out there, and I now realize exactly what was going on. Cerulean knew that if the attack on Bastok failed to kill Light, then Light would be taken to Windurst. And the only way to get to Windurst is on boats through Selbina."

"But we escaped..."

"Yes, but Evil does not make mistakes. It took a third precaution. It knew we would come here, and so, it sent its sixth member to finish it. We fought five Pale Warriors in Selbina: Takmir, Seryaa, Fxeni, Marzinquan, and Taea. There is one more. And she is here."

Fupac stepped back from the window, shocked, and eyes locked on something outside. The shouts outside finally erupted in an alarm, and a large amount of cries in the distance. The night exploded in noise, and then climaxed as there was a noise on the roof. A second later, the room was filled with a detonation of glass, as the window looking outside was shattered by an intruder, which sent pieces of the sharp edges flying in every direction. The form, clad in black armor, and wielding two dark, black, curving, crooked swords, stood up and faced the room. Daleth gritted his teeth.

"Celos."


	5. Undoings

It was a dream. Kidria knew it was. The magical feeling of ecstasy and contentment Kidria felt was a cover up to keep her from waking up screaming. The feelings were a war designed by Light, to give Kidria a reason to give up so that Light could take hold. As time wore on, Kidria realized she was losing this battle... it was all a trick, and the fact was, Kidria wasn't able to fight it. The dream played, much like a movie, in here eyes and her mind, but Kidria knew it was more then just a dream...she was watching a vision.

Her physical body did not see nor hear anything, it was her soul and spirit that watched what occurred outside that door. She knew this, because she had seen her sister, now one of the Pale Warriors, jump from rooftop to rooftop, stars grazing her back, as she neared where Kidria slept. The Pale Elvaan had shocked the others with her sudden arrival, but Celos needed no advantages. Kidria's friends and bodyguards were still weak, not prepared, and not strong enough to take on this would-be assassin.

Fupac was the first to be struck down. He had been close enough to the window to be hit by the shards of glass and sent reeling backwards from the shockwave. In a movement that appeared to have been slowed by the Light inside her, Kidria watched Celos turn, swing her arm, and knock Fupac aside. Still in the air, Celos sidestepped and crushed her knee into Fupacs uplifted back, crushing bone. Fupac's mouth burst open, gasping for a breath and spitting flicks of spit mixed with fluids, while Celos let his seemingly lifeless body gently fall to the ground. The smash of Fupac's armor against floorboards raised dust, but he did not move any more.

Januz, now enraged and filled with a light of renewal, summoned his pet as he watched Celos maim Fupac. The beast appeared right as Fupac took the blow to the back, and it immediately charged at the Pale Warrior. Fenrir bit at Celos' hand, which suddenly disappeared from sight and appeared in another spot with Celos attached to it...grasping the back of the wolf's mane. A simple tug was all it took to lift to beast from the ground, where Celos held it limp. Two quick thrusts from her sword pierced the summon's hide, leaving trickles of silver running down its legs. It gave a howl so loud and echoing that Kidria even heard it in her sleep, and Celos swung the wolf and blasted it like a missile at its owner, Januz. Wolf and master collided, and both flew into the wooden wall, dropping things from the shelves all over the room, and leaving them both unconscious.

The Pale Warrior jerked her blade in an arc, tauntingly spattering Halystaru and Daleth with bits of the summon's blood. Much like both Light and Celos expected, they charged at the taunt like children running at the offer of candy. The Pale Warrior let the two of them take their swings, dodging each and every blow with the smallest hints of movement. A swing from Daleth's lance followed by a hook to Celos' chin was countered with a dodge and a crushing grip of Daleth's swinging hand. Halystaru backed away from this, seemingly afraid, then let loose with a volley of white magic and holy spells. Each attack was either seemingly absorbed by Celos, or bounced off her armor like pebbles. Daleth, still held in a fistlock by his enemy, struggled to release himself, but failed to do anything except make himself look like a pitiful excuse for a fighter. Celos suddenly let his fist go, but before Daleth reached the ground, a foot met his stomach from Celos' sidekick, doubling him over. With no air to gasp to fill his lungs, he had no chance to react as the Pale Elvaan charged at him and shoulder bashed him in the face. Daleth was promptly knocked backwards, hit wall-to-back, and fell to the ground with a slam. Blood poured down his forehead.

Halystaru ceased her attacks of holy magic and quickly sent it to working on Daleth's wounds. Celos did not give Halystaru much of a chance to recover Daleth, as the tall Elvaan picked up the small Taru by the head and began to crush her. The Taru screamed in pain, seeing red and feeling nothing but immense pressure, until the Elvaan slightly relaxed her grip and raised her other hand instead. Outstretching her palm, a gray glow appeared in Celos' fingers, which pulsated, and then exploded and enveloped Halystaru in an immense beam of light that nearly blinded Kidria in her sleep as she watched. The beam dissipated, and all that remained of the small Taru was a stone statue, still wearing the expression of immense pain that Halystaru had wore a moment ago. Celos let the stone fall the ground with a small crash.

The victorious member of Darkness surveyed her defeated combatants. All were either comatose or unconscious....except Daleth. Unable to move but still able to watch this horrible creature approach him, Daleth watched Celos stroll comfortably over to Daleth, grinning. She stopped at Daleth's feet and settled comfortably on her knees with hands on her legs, and continued to smile as Daleth grunted uncomfortably. There came an impulse in Kidria's sight, and she was able to suddenly 'sense' Daleth's thoughts and hear what Celos could say.

The Pale Elvaan winked. "_You were right. I don't make mistakes_." The voice was very, very cold. Daleth grunted, and tried to move, but found himself paralyzed. Celos shook her head.

"_No need. I can hear you just fine_." There was a long silence. For the longest time, Celos simply stared at Daleth's complexion, until her face took on a look of self-realization, and her smile widened.

_"You knew this girl, correct? As...Celos, I believe. But I do you know you very well Daleth, oh I do indeed. As the 'Carrier'. You are the main cause for the annoyances I have gotten."_ The girl's face suddenly made an extreme change into a great, angry frown. In one quick, swift, unnoticeable move, her arm darted to her side, she drew her sword, and shoved it into Daleth's shoulder, who grunted in immense pain.

_"Consider that my thanks."_ She cocked her head. _"But, oh dear...that isn't nearly enough to pay you back." _She wedged the sword out of Daleth's flesh, jerking it around as Daleth silently screamed, causing Kidria to jerk in her sleep. After yanking the blade out, Celos turned it before her eyes and stared at the blood.

_"I think that would be a lovely idea. The blade I use to wound you, shall be the one to kill the Light, and the girl you worked oh-so-hard to protect. A lovely bit of irony, don't you think?"_ She shook her head disapprovingly._ "But still, you require more. I will let you watch me murder the girl. That...should even the scales."_

Celos rose from her knees slowly, and dragged Daleth closer to the door leading into the back bedroom. She dropped him near the door like a sack, and pushed the wooden doorway open, letting the light from the fire leak into the dark room.

Chase stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on it's frame, and clutching his sword. Celos laughed at this. The young Paladin simply stared at her through one halfway open eye.

"I will die...before I give in...you bitch." He chuckled at this insult, but Celos took little notice.

_"Out of the way."_ And Chase was sent aside by a roundhouse kick. His body was sent backwards, crashing through furniture, until he slid on the ground with a trail of blood behind him. Splinters shot up in the air as he slid, spattering his body, until the momentum was stopped, and Chase lay there, unaware and unthinking.

Daleth and Kidria both watched as Celos walked in the doorway and approached the bed with Kidria lying in it, still sleeping. It was odd for Kidria to see herself, in this situation, with Celos walking towards her, knowing her death was a few seconds away. Oddly enough, she still felt calm, and happy. She was happy knowing that she had lived a meaningful life, because she now knew what she meant to her friends, as they had all almost given their lives...just for her.

But Kidria did regret one thing. Not all her friends were here. Fxeni, the Taru she had always looked for as a true friend and as someone who shared her secrets and laughs; Seryaa, who had acted almost like a second sister and teaching her about growing up into a lovely lady; Takmir, who had tried his best to make life better by laughing about everything and making a joke out of every sad moment; Marzinquan, who was loyal and trustworthy in a way no other could match; and finally; Taea, who she had always trusted and asked for advice.

And as odd as it sounded, Kidria was almost content with being killed by her sister. Although, to normal people it would seem like a horror, it was a comfort to Kidria's odd mind that she would be sent beyond by someone so close to her, despite that this was not the sister she had once known. Regardless, Kidria was not sad with her death. But she was not necessarily happy with it either. She just accepted it as was.

But Daleth himself did not want to accept it. He refused to. Kidria meant too much to them all. Despite that he had no strength in anywhere but his mind and eyes, he still somehow found the energy to cry as he watched Celos approach her kid sister.

A few short seconds before Celos actually raised the blade above her sister's sleeping body, the feelings in Kidria's mind took hold. The happiness and contentment took over, and Light grasped her mind. Kidria was sent from herself into another place, alone...yet not so. She would see her friends...again one day.

And then Celos drove the dark blade directly into Kidria's beating heart.


	6. Balance

"'_The game is done, I've won! I've won!' _

_S__he said, and then whistled thrice"-_Rime of the Ancient Mariner

* * *

"_The girl's heart has been split."_

"_Light was not able to finish?"_

"_The girl is dead. Therefore, light is no more."_

The voice acted impatient and eager. _"Assurance is necessary. Light is not so easily killed as a human."_

"_What can survive a sword in the chest?"_

"_If the girl is dead, then light must be as well..."_

"_For our sakes, let us hope so."_

* * *

Darkness had won. Celos, now pleased with herself and covered with her sister's blood, turned from the bedside and looked at Daleth tauntingly. 

"_Your dear friend is dead."_

Daleth's rage was no match for his fear. His tears seemed to burst in heat, and seemingly disappeared from his senses...but not his face. He screamed at the oppressor, unaware of his pain and circumstances.

"WHY DID YOU KILL HER?!"

"_I told you. I had to kill light. And I also told you that no matter where you ran, or where you hid, she would end up dead."_

"You killed a CHILD. Not any heavenly SAVIOR!"

"_Wrong. You speak with ignorance. In fact, you should be thanking me. The circumstances in which light takes a body are more painful then my methods."_

Daleth stopped. "Taking a body...?"

Celos shook her head and wiped her blade clean of blood on a robe hanging from the doorway. _"I am under no obligation to explain it to you, much less leave you alive. But I think that it is a more befitting fate that your friends die along with the rest of the civilized world when I return with the others." _She turned to Halystaru and raised a palm. The petrified version of the mage began to shake and slowly grew hues until the stoneskin that took the Taru's form seemingly dissolved. The immediate second this "skin" disappeared from Halystaru, she collapsed into a coma, and did not move.

Daleth was struck with awe as he watched Celos calmly strut toward the window she had shattered only moments before. As the footsteps from the attacker faded as she walked across the room, Daleth was shattered by the realization of the silence from the other room: he no longer heard the soft breathing of a girl resting.

Kidria was dead?

Daleth's senses went into shock. He couldn't move, he couldn't think...he couldn't cry. He felt like a numb statue on the floor only able to view his surroundings. He didn't care anymore. It was a feeling of ignorance, yet painful knowing he didn't care. But these feelings were vague and fleeting. As Celos finally reached the window and stepped into its frame, Daleth's feelings were overridden with new ones. Immense happiness. Incredible warmth, a soothing feeling of a caressing hand of a lover, the blend of solitude, solace, and contentment all brimmed his eyes, ears, touch, and soul. It was the happiest he had ever felt before. Happiness? Why would he feel such a thing at such a time? He didn't want to feel happy; his friends bleeding and possibly dead, with the one he meant to guard lying dead not twenty feet from him...

These new feelings override every thought he had a moment before. They filled him with energy, and while Daleth still felt pain and sadness, it was mellowed by these new sensations. All at once, they were sucked from his body, pulled from him like a mask on a face, and he felt like he had a moment before.

Celos turned._ "Odd"_

Daleth stared at the ground. "What...what was that?"

Celos stepped back down from her perch on the window and seemingly stared into nothingness.

"_No. The girl was dead. I felt her heart stop."_

Daleth cocked his head. "What?"

There was a long silence before the Pale Warrior moved. She practically ran back to the door leading to Kidria's room, and stood in the doorway. Even from his spot at the wall, Daleth thought he could see blood dripping onto the floor from the room.

* * *

"_The child is dead! What is this?"_

* * *

There was a small trickle of wind that came from Celos' direction. The air, despite the heat coming from the mantle, grew cold. And then a small glow illuminated the room in which Kidria lay...

* * *

"_It's too late. You failed."_

"_But the girl is dead!"_

* * *

The glow was soft at first. It waned in shape and sharpened in image until it became like a beam strewn from a flashlight which shown upon Celos' figure. The light did not move, but soon more glows began to appear, and grew in luminance. Each and every one of these that appeared also wavered into beams, until there were hundreds, even thousands of them, shining from Kidria's room. By now the room had been lit by a kind of artificial sun. Daleth could now easily see Kidria's body covered with blood stained sheets, but he could not tear his eyes away. The light's source was the bed in which Kidria lay, and unless his eyes were deceiving him, Kidria's finger's were now twitching with movement.

* * *

"_Evidently, light is not."_

* * *

Even now, Daleth easily remembered the incredible power and hue of the light that had come from Takmir when he had been destroyed in Jeuno weeks ago. That light, despite its power, was no match for this new one, which was not so much hostile...just incredibly strong. The beams of light began to meld to form one large beam, until it was a sphere of radiance that gyrated around the dead girl's body. The sphere suddenly halted and contracted back into the sheets, until the room was dark once more. 

All was quiet until Daleth whispered a small realization to himself.

"_The greatest power shall be found_

_in the smallest possible voice."_

Then the world was akin to fire as it exploded in a brimming energy that blinded all senses.

* * *

Daleth was too weak to fight the reaction that his eyes naturally took in shutting his eyes from such an insanely powerful glow. He did, however, manage to open his eyes after the explosion diminished, and saw that Celos had been thrown forcibly backward by the explosion of the light into a wall, where she now sat, bruised, battered, and visibly angry. Daleth had not been harmed one iota by the same eruption. 

He turned his eyes back to the room and saw that a form of white stood standing next to the bed. The figure's arms, legs, fingers, and body were outstretched, as if to soak up the air, and Daleth noticed that Kidria's body was no longer in bed. In fact, the sheets which had been soaked with blood now lay on the floor, and the bed was bare. As time slowly passed, the form took shape, obviously a young woman, with pale skin and golden hair. Her eyes were blue, and her golden locks were long and led to her shoulders, which were rather broad. Her armor was befit in the same manner as Celos' in that it, too, looked irregular and curving, but it was a clean, pale white instead of a dreary black. Her fingers, legs, and feet were also covered in this same armor, which seemed to slightly glow in the dark. On her left hip was the sheathe of a sword fit with jewels of every color and cut imaginable, and on her right hip, a large, rectangular, shield of the same example. When the light finally faded and diminished into nothingness, Daleth recognized the face of the girl:

It was Kidria.

And yet not so. As Kidria walked forward, she no longer walked in the manner she used to. Her walk was proud and vain, her movements fluid and smooth. Her face looked like Kidria's, but her hair and eyes were now a different color then the Kidria who had been murdered moments before. As this new girl walked into the room, she approached Celos and stopped to face her assassin.

"_Dear sister..."_

Daleth was shocked by the voice that came from Kidria. It sounded exactly the same as Celos'; the same tone, uncaring attitude, and unwavering voice. It was hard, cold, and brutally coincided with the wound left by Celos: Every time a word came from Kidria, the bleeding gap in his side ached and pulsated. It was not Kidria's voice.

Celos spat, and Kidria continued with her sentence.

"_Sister, you attempted to kill me."_

Celos appeared incredibly irritated by this sentence. _"Your appearance never makes me happy."_

Kidria smiled. _"I can't say yours is quite welcome either. But once again we meet. I will not hasten to fight, but I will not let you go. You are divided, I am not."_

"_I am not going to play a farce by claiming I can beat you here and now. But rest assured, you won't kill me here. Not now."_

The movement was so fluid Daleth would have never seen it coming. Celos thrusted out her leg, aiming to trip Kidria, who simply stepped back out of the range of the kick. Celos followed this step with a jump forward and jabbed at her sister frantically at such speeds that to Daleth's eyes they all appeared a blur. No person he had ever met could dodge those attacks, yet Kidria adapted quickly to this style. Celos never touched Kidria with her blade, who didn't even draw her sword or shield to fend the attacks.

Two more stabs were followed by a roll that cellos used to draw her other sword, leaving the sister in black with two blades to fight the White Warrior. Celos used the two swords like a hurricane, spinning them wildly, cutting the air which left small rushes of air that gently brushed Daleth's face. Kidria continued to easily dodge the attacks, but as soon as Celos jumped into the air and tried to strike downward, Kidria made her move.

Three times faster then Celos had acted so far, Kidria drew her shield and sword, deflected Celos' attack, and bashed her in the face. Stunned by the blow, Celos was unable to react as Kidria simply turned and shoulder smashed Celos in the stomach. The pale warrior was sent flying at the wall, which she promptly crashed through like a brick and proceeded to fly upon the dark streets below. Daleth felt the shudder as Celos hit the ground and heard pavement crack. He eased himself over to the new hole in the wall and watched Celos stare up at her obviously stronger opponent, Kidria, who had sheathed her shield, but not her sword. Kidria returned the look, but did not speak. When Celos stood up, now visibly beaten up, Kidria jumped from the second story down to meet her. Hoping to catch her off guard, the pale warrior heaved her black sword at her sister. Kidria turned aside and caught the blade in her free hand and sent it flying back like a boomerang in an instant. The sword hit the pale warrior in the shoulder, reeling her backwards and embedding the back end of the blade that reached through her body into a wall. Daleth was amazed by the incredible speeds of these two; he would be unlikely to even react to Celos' actions, but Kidria's speeds were simply unreal.

Celos yanked herself from the wall and stood up, her black armor covered in a silvery sinew of her own blood. Once more she faced her enemy with both swords, the two Elvaan women staring silently at the other. For a couple moments, the night was quiet, until Daleth heard a hum of a young child, who was playfully running down the street, unaware of the fight before him in the night. Before Daleth had time to shout, Celos had done what Daleth had expected her to do: She had grabbed the boy and now held a blade to his throat, while Kidria simply watched.

Celos grimaced, half in pain, and half in self-pleasure: _"We both know your aims. Would you kill a boy to complete them?"_

The girl in White did not flinch._ "I will not let anything get in my way, sister. Not even your threats." _Daleth's eyes blinked at this.

The pale warrior in black's grin diminished. _"You would kill a young boy, sister, for your aims? That's something in my line, not yours."_

"_I would not actively kill such a boy, but if he is ignorant enough to get in the way, then he pays for his silly tricks." _

Daleth screamed at the top of his lungs for Kidria to stop, but she took no heed, and charged forward to attack her sister. Whether it was ironic luck or just an odd happenstance, Kidria's attack was so fast that Celos did not have time to slit the boy's throat before the warrior in white was upon her. Kidria clumsily knocked the boy aside and swung her blade at Celos, who countered with her left black blade. With her other hand, she attempted to stab her sister, but it was met by Kidria's shield instead. As the blade bounced off the hard armor of the glowing shield, Kidria ducked and jumped to the side of Celos, bouncing off a wall, and twisted upside down. Gravity pulled her down until Kidria completed her loop, finishing with a smashing roundhouse upon Celos' head, whom was sent smashing to the ground. Kidria lightly stepped off of the Pale Warrior's head, and then turned back around. She lifted her sister off the stone and up towards her face, then swung her like a doll into a nearby water barrel, breaking it into pieces. Water mixed with silver and trickled across the street. Kidria once more proudly strutted over to her sister, still unharmed, while the Pale Warrior showed obviously had difficulty standing up. She smiled.

"_Old times." _The Elvaan clad in light armor did not respond. _"But I have to call it quits. Even I must admit when a battle is lost, and despite my wishes, I do not think I can hurt you alone."_

"_Stubborn. I told you I won't let you leave."_

"_Aye. But I will escape anyways."_

Celos burst forward on her haunches and proceeded with a flurry of attacks that were far too fast for Daleth to recognize. Each attack made was somehow reflected or deflected by Kidria, but Celos still fought as she spoke.

"_You say you won't let any innocent get in your way...I do know, however, that you cannot let the carrier die. Seems that for now, he will take the brunt of my intents." _

Celos promptly stepped back from the fight, sheathed one sword, and sent the other spinning at Daleth's face. He was too weak and amazed to consider this attack, but he did need to: Before the blade had reached his face, Kidria had appeared before him and grabbed the blade from midair, its tip less then a foot from Daleth's head. When his focus turned back from the blade into the street, he found that Celos had taken this opportune moment to disappear. Daleth swallowed to wet his drying throat and turned to the girl who had saved his life.

"You aren't Kidria, are you?" Daleth stared hopefully, but the girl shook her head.

The girl did not speak, and unfortunately, Daleth did not need her to. Silence spoke far louder then any reply she could make.


	7. Misconceptions

The pale wyvern had flown off for a moment to think to itself. Things had become complicated. He had planned both for and against mistakes, and yet, things still went ary. But this new happenstance was odd to him. Light had reappeared now, and despite his actions and greatest attempts, had done so before as well. Yet, what he didn't understand was the reason.

In many cases, a few seconds meant everything. The few seconds it had taken for the assassin to finish the girl had done its intent, but there was a small brink in which the blow was struck. Each and every pawn had an extreme link of possession upon it, and none could resist its power, nor muster enough willpower to escape from Evil's possession. But in that instance, that one _millisecond_ in which the blade had been driven into the young girl...there had been a gap, a tiny fracture in the power in which Evil controlled the assassin. He had seemingly "lost connection" with the exact movements of the one they called "Celos" and that fracture had done something that aroused the power of Light, or that had not killed the girl.

Each and every one of the six pale warriors he had were exact in their movements and attacks. There was nothing that could have caused the swift strike of the blade to miss...except that fracture. Was it possible that the link between two sisters, "Love" and "Care" as human's called it, had been strong enough to instantaneously sever the link? A tiny turn of the sword as it was driven, or misdirection, would easily cause the wound to be not fatal. But at the time, Evil had not recognized the severity of this instance. He had not ever seen it before.

The girl was not dead at that moment, only dying.

The wyvern sighed and shook its head. The point was moot. Light was now upon him, but he had fought it before and won. It was mostly a distraction, as the world was almost decimated when its arrival was complete. But it would seem that in the future, Evil would need to take a second look at itself whenever such an important task was to be completed.

These mortals were stronger then he thought.

* * *

The entirety of Windurst had gathered in the central square at the request of many officials, as well as Light herself. Every man, woman, and child had shown up, most of which only came to see the one known as "Light." It disgusted Halystaru to see that people only came to bow to their "savior"; he found the whole situation unappreciative of the people who had already given their lives to fight against this beast.

The rest of the people were there too: Chase, Halystaru, Januz, and Daleth. Each had been specially requested to appear by Light herself, but Daleth had not come very willingly. Things on his mind were bothering him, but he kept quiet regardless.

The Star Sybil now stood near Heaven's Tower in front of the people of Windurst with Daleth and co. on one side, and Light on the other. As she spoke, her voice was obviously increased by magic so that everyone could hear it.

"Bastok, Sandoria, Jeuno, Selbina, and now, even Mhuara, lay in ruins. What remains of the civilized world now lays in our home, Windurst, which faces an imminent threat: Evil and their armies approach us from the north."

"Last night, an assassin, one of the six that Evil uses in its ways, appeared at our doorstop. Every guard in her way was easily swept aside or killed, and thus, we were given no warning when she snuck into our town and killed a young girl, the one who now stands beside me, clad in white armor. She claims to be called 'Light.'"

"This girl single-handedly fought off this attacker and nearly left her dead, but she has escaped, and was seen heading north. With our backs to the wall, I was forced to make a decision and finally send out scouts to see what lay before us. North of us, on the edge of Tahronghi Canyon, there is an army of fifty thousand Beastmen assembled with Evil leading it, heading our way."

"That was of this morning. The wars we knew twenty years ago have seemingly arisen, but in a new sense. The Shadow Lord that nearly killed us all was a simple _PAWN_ of these new attackers. I lie not when I say that we cannot win this battle. But these six can. Daleth, Halystaru, Chase, Januz, and Light, once known as 'Kidria' have fought this monster before and won, each in different situations. This new threat is clever; some of those who have killed it have taken the spot of those they destroyed, becoming their allies."

"The stars are quiet to me. They no longer speak, their voices are blocked by a wall that is not to be seen. Wards have been placed around Windurst herself so that we will know if an assassin will appear once more, but I tell you all now this..."

"If Windurst falls, so does the world. We are the last of what this nation has known as civilization."

The Sybil, her speech now finished, stepped down from her perch and stayed quiet, her head bowed. The crowd, previously loud and anxious, copied her silence. Chase, a member of Windurst, found the silence unsettling, but found Light's uncaring grin even more so...

* * *

Hours later, Daleth drooled over some book, its pages torn and yellowed with age, trying not to fall asleep. He had left in the middle of the procession, not interested in trying to understand the complexity of all that had happened. Other things were on his mind.

There was a knock on the door; Daleth turned his head up and saw a small eye peeking through the hinges. He nodded approvingly, and a small figure walked into the room peevishly, staring at Daleth and his books.

Halystaru's eyes scanned the hundreds of tomes that Daleth had shifted through in the library of Windurst. She chuckled.

"Since when are you the scholarly type?"

Daleth let off a half spirited laugh. "I'm just trying to not use one of these as a pillow, or to heave one out a window." Halystaru walked forward and sat on a chair, watching Daleth. As Daleth scanned the books, the taru's eyes followed.

"Why did you leave the procession?"

This question jolted Daleth, but he hoped that he had not made it very visible to the eye in doing so. He put down the book, sighed, and turned an eye towards Halystaru without moving his head.

"I needed to get to these books as soon as possible."

"What _are_ these books?"

"Tomes. Ancient legends. Myths. Unsolved mysteries. Anything that can give me a hint to things..."

"'Things'...?"

"Light. I want to understand what's going on. Whatever it is that saved me last night, it wasn't the girl I have been protecting."

"What do you mean? She saved your life. And she may very well save Windurst."

Daleth shook his head stubbornly. "I don't think that is her intention."

"Why do you think that?"

"You and I know Kidria very well. While you were encased in stone, I _saw_ her get murdered. I saw her bleed. And I saw what we know as 'Light' come out of her form. Her looks and this situation would make any person think that this is Kidria...but it isn't."

Halystaru looked at Daleth expectantly, until the silence got awkward. She coughed.

"Why?"

"Last night, a child ran by in the street. A young boy, must have been five or six years old. He was simply playing in the streets, enjoying his life. But he practically ran right into the battle that Light and Dark held on that same street, and Dark caught him and used him as leverage against Light. She threatened to kill him if Light attempted any more attempts on Celos' life. Light didn't care."

"So?"

"Kidria has been selfless. Always has been, until the moment she died. We all know she would give her life for us, and would fight for her friends under any circumstances. There was nothing driving her to fight Celos last night other then self defense, and a boy was kept under Light's actions: She decided if he died or lived. But Light didn't care, she even _said_ she didn't. She willingly charged forward, but Altana must have been with that boy: He got away unharmed."

Halystaru shrugged. "Your point being?"

"Kidria died last night. Light, as best as I can figure from Evil's mentions, took her body, using it like a tool. She didn't care about the well-being of a boy, and with these actions, I am trying to see if Light is really on her side."

"I think you are being paranoid." Halystaru giggled.

Daleth stopped reading and closed the book. "There was one other thing. Her voice..."

"Her voice?"

"It was so identical to Celos'. Almost twin like. I don't think Light will save any of us, but I could be wrong. So I came here, to the Library of Windurst: The greatest collection of lore in the world, to see if I can find anything on the relationship between these two."

"Daleth, I understand what you are trying to do, and I can respect you, but..."

"But you think I am being stupid?"

"No, I was going to say, I wish you'd ask for help. I read. A lot. And I can tell you now that none of the books you are looking at will help you at all."

Daleth turned frustratingly. "Can you tell me what books can, then?"

Halystaru grinned ear-to-ear. "I can try."

* * *

Day weaned into evening, and finally dissolved into the dreary night. Circles had formed around Halystaru's eyes in her lack of sleep, and Daleth was now snoozing into some book and mumbling something about Mithra's on a beach as he snored.

Halystaru pulled out one last book whose cover was unreadable and covered with dust. She blew it off and the dirt on the jacket drifted into the air, causing Daleth to cough in his slumber. Undisturbed, Halystaru opened the jacket and was immediately intrigued by its contents. The book only held three or four pages at most, but the jacket covering the book was huge. She looked for a title and saw none, but when she read the first line, Halystaru knew she had hit the jackpot.

The lack of sleep which had weighed so heavily on her a moment before seemingly disappeared, and Halystaru shook Daleth vigorously. He slowly came back to consciousness, obviously grumpy that the Mithra's weren't real, but Halystaru showed him the book without speaking. His eyes grew wide, and the two of them read the verse aloud together.

* * *

"_When dark recalls all it has to offer,_

_renewing the object it once held,_

_The greatest power shall be found_

_in the smallest possible voice,_

_The six shall stand against the five when one is felled,_

_But victory means death and losing means destruction; all decided by the sister's choice."_

* * *

"This must be something!" Halystaru was ecstatic. 

Daleth simply rubbed his eyes. "I'm getting real tired of that poem." Halystaru elbowed him in the side, and he straightened up immediately. The writing gave no title, but only held an odd legend. The two of then continued along in the book, reading in unison aloud to the books on the shelves in the Library.

_It is often cliché, nonchalant, even, to hear a greater immortal call a mortal "Ignorant." Although oftentimes mortals are just that, they can learn great things, but their greatest weakness is a hope that clings to any excuse. In this way, Evil can be misconstrued as an ally, but really has no great aims in mind to help any who claim to worship their ways. Misunderstanding your allies is a great mistake. Such is the story of Light and Dark._

_The common misconception that follows Light and Dark is that they are unnatural forces, immortals that are extremes on opposite ends. Light is often seen as a warrior of some time clad in White, wielding great weapons and jewels that fights Evil. Evil, on the other hand, is a force that prefers the color of Black, who does not actively seek to destroy light, but only attacks those in their way. Because Light is always constantly out to fight Dark, Dark is often seen fighting back. When people see this, they often think exactly what an ignorant observer WOULD think: That they are opposing forces._

_The history of Light and Dark is twofold. They are immortals, without a permanent form, that have been around since Time itself. They were around before Beastmen, they were around Civilization, and they will be around after mortals are all gone. They cannot be destroyed, neither can: Only warred upon. It's an endless fight betwixt the two, but what is often misunderstood is the terms of "good" and "bad"._

_Light and Dark are like children, two sisters of a family. They see the world as a toy in which to play in. In certain context, Dark is more "mature" then her sister in that she really doesn't care to bother others, only to play around and get what she wants. Unfortunately, Evil's aims including world domination and control of everything, and as of yet, she has actually succeeded several times, just not for a prolonged period of time. If she gets what she wants, she is happy. If she doesn't, she will do whatever it takes to get it back, and considering what that involves, it comes as no shock that many see her as "an evil force"._

_Light however, is almost exactly like her sister. She only wants to have "fun". Her enjoyment in this world, her goal, is to fight her sister. That is what she does, she is always on a constantly endless mission to fight her sister. But because Dark's actions are often seen as a crime upon the civilized world, it seems that Light is on the side of justice. She fights her sister, therefore, she must fight for the betterment of the world. _

_The truth is that Light couldn't care less if the entire cosmos was destroyed in her "fun"._

Daleth shook his head. "The boy..."

_If anyone gets in Light's way, if anything were to disrupt her fight with her sister, they will be attacked and thrown out of the way with brutal force. Light will accept any help that may come to fight her sister, but Altana help the soul that gets in her way. Light is far more brutal then her sister could ever be._

_The two sisters use the same methods to complete their missions. Each "possesses" a mortal body which is then strengthened to a degree the mortal has never before experienced. These methods are very, very painful, and more often then not, the mortals are unwillingly chosen, and the two sister's do not care if any resistance is made. However, if Light or Dark were ever made to leave a body, the mortal which was taken would be returned to their formal self in the exact same case they were before they were possessed._

_Furthermore, Light and Dark have two important aspects to themselves. They can and often will "Divide", spreading their possessions to more then one mortal body. The more people that one of the sister's controls, the weaker the power and hold that the sister has per each body. Evil, for example, could probably control the entire world by possessing everyone, but her influence would be spread so thin that it would be easy to be freed from her grip. An undivided Light will always defeat a Divided dark one on one, but an undivided Light versus ten divided Darks is a different story. Thus, both of the sister's usually have several mortals at their call._

_Light divides more carefully and gently then her sister. She usually produces several weapons of the Light, which is then given to those whom Light deems worthy. These mortals who take up the call of Light are turned into the same likeness of Light herself, and fight alongside her. Dark, on the other hand, takes her victims without warning, and more hastily. Her blood is the virus which corrupts those whom she sees fit; any whom touch her silvery sinew are subject to her control._

_When they divide, Light and Dark always choose a main soul. It is often, but not always, the first one they possess. The main soul is the leader of the divided, the one main control of all the mortals that that particular sister controls. The main soul gives orders, is the one who masterminds the actions, and is basically the main "Embodiment" of Light and Dark. They are the strongest of all the mortals of whom Light or Dark controls, and they are the key to removing Light and Dark from this world._

_The two sisters are two keys to a single lock. As said, they cannot ever be killed, but they can be removed from the world, "Set back" in a kind of sense. If removed, they must find their own way back into the world, which can days, centuries or eternities. But it is the only way to remove them from the mortal coil. _

_It is vital to mention that anyone who is not the main soul can be saved from the grasp of Light and Dark. They must simply be brought near the brink of death by the opposing side's blade or weapon, such as a divided Dark brought to near death by Light's sword. This process is painful, and does not always work, but mortals can be saved by this process. However, the main souls can never be saved. When Light and Dark are removed from the world, the main souls die. There is no redemption for them._

_Light and Dark are balanced in their strength. If they were to meet in a battle one on one, they would be matched in everything: Strength, speed, agility, and stamina. Because of this, the scales are only tipped by outsiders: Those whom currently roam the world when the two sisters fight. They decide the outcome of the battle. Oftentimes mortals take the side of Light, and thus Dark is fought off to recover itself, but Dark has won her fair share of battles as well. Never in history have the sisters been "Removed". The process is simple, but difficult, to execute._

_First, one blade from the possession of Light, and one of Dark, must be obtained. Then, at the same exact instant, they two blades must be thrust into their opposing main soul: The blade of Dark into the main soul of Light, and the blade of Light into the main soul of Dark. The two forces are balanced, and must forever remain balanced, so it is necessary that this be executed simultaneously, as both forces are then taken from this world in one fell swoop. _

_Dark in Light and Light in Dark balances out. It makes both sides neutral, forcing a sort of "vacuum" to be created. If neutrality is achieved, it is still balanced, and either side recovering upsets the laws of either side. This sucks Light and Dark from the world, until they can find a way to return. This process is called a "Reckoning". _

Both Daleth and Halystaru were shocked at the next line.

"_The current main soul of Dark is Cerulean. The current main soul of Light is Kidria. Both must be killed at once, if this world is ever to be saved from the two sisters."_

That was it. The book's text ended there, and to Daleth's dismay, when he turned the page, all that remained was dirt and yellowed pages. There was nothing else in the book. His shut it and, still shocked, looked out the window to see that the sun was rising.

The door to the library burst open, scaring Daleth, and causing Halystaru to jump out of her chair with a light squeak. She recovered herself and turned back to the Hume guard in the door. He was frantic, sweating, and obviously worried. He turned his eyes towards Halystaru and Daleth and then gulped.

"The Beastmen shall be upon us in hours, and all warriors are to ready themselves for battle. But I was sent by Light to come get you two."

Halystaru scratched her ear and yawned. "Why?"

"Because..." The guard sighed. "You've been chosen."


	8. Assault

"I wish to see what is coming." The Star Sybil was anxious.

"But...m'lady..."

"No. I must know what we're trying to face."

"Madam, please. I assure you that trying to see who we're going to fight will do nothing but discourage-"

The Star Sybil waved her hand interjectedly. "Enough. Show me." The Taru warlock hesitated, but then nodded unwillingly.

"So be it."

He reached up the bookshelf near him and pulled down a book. After licking his finger, he thumbed through the pages until he found what he was looking for. The warlock then proceeded to walk over to the Star Sybil and cupped his other free hand on the Sybil's ear. He spoke a few words, and his hand grew a blue glow that dissipated quickly. He then took his hand and moved it to the Star Sybil's eyes, which she then closed, and the warlock proceeded to read the same verse, whereupon the same blue glow appeared one more. After completing this, he stood back, read a final line, raised his hand, and slammed the book shut.

The Star Sybil now found her eyes and ears blind and deaf. The room in front of her and the sounds from it blurred and dissolved. Although she still felt the presence of the warlock and the room around her, her eyes and ears grew new senses. At first, it was quiet, but small sounds and voices began to grow.

It began as a tiny growl, and a small flash of green skin. The growl soon increased to a dull roar of growls, gurgles, and shouts, all of a foreign voice. As the sound grew, her eyes began to focus on a seething mob of green, black, and silver. The growls and shouts soon became clear voices, war-like cries of an army that walked forth upon a city. Her eyes continued to clear until the green was recognized as the skin of various creatures, the black as feathers of others, and the silver as glints of metallic armor and blades. All it once, the vision became crystal; its size large. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Orcs, Yagudo, Undead, Gigas, Goblins, Anticans, Tonberries, and Sahagins, lined in battle armor and cloth. Mages, warriors, fighters, healers, summoners, all battle ready, marching as single seething mass that rippled and pulsated disgustedly. Their spears, swords and shields were proudly stained with blood, their banners bearing the mark of the Beastmen. They all shouted together, and yet, not as one, screaming and shouting for the war upon civilization and the reaping of blood upon the innocents.

Windurst.

The Star Sybil could not take it any longer; her stomach was queasy from the thought. She collapsed forward onto her knees, palms holding her up from the ground. The vision faded away as the room reappeared, but her skin remained pale, her stomach lurching. The warlock rushed to her side and lifted her up, but she shook him off rudely.

"How long until they are here?" She asked bitterly.

"Sunset."

"How many do they number?"

"Half a million. Maybe more."

"And our numbers?"

"Fifty thousand. We're outnumbered ten to one. And...there's one other thing." The warlock hesitated, and then turned away. "The six pale warriors are leading them."

The Star Sybil slowly pulled herself to her feet and shuffled over to the window. She stared at the blood red sunset for a long moment before she said anything.

"Goddess help us."

* * *

It turned out that all in all, Chase, Halystaru, Januz, Daleth, and Fupac had been called by Light. They met in a small room in the Heaven's tower, which had been designated Light's quarters by the Star Sybil. The room was lit by a single window; its contents bare except for carpeting and small tapestries around the room. The room itself was circular and large, and had no other rooms except the main one which had one door that served as the exit. Upon their arrival, Halystaru and Daleth were uneasy with the knowledge they had learned, and were made even more so when the door was locked behind them. However, if anyone, including Light, seemed to notice this odd behavior, they didn't seem to show it.

Chase was obviously still trying to wake up, lazily dressed in some hastily thrown on clothing, and yawning quite often. He smacked his lips in his half consciousness, and seemed perfectly unaware that this was a serious situation. Fupac, who was to his left, leaned lazily on his scythe and peered at the others, and was seemingly bored with his current status. Januz was sitting on the window sill leading outside, and was currently engaged with some sort of odd mediation. His eyes were closed, and he hummed some soft tune as he sat. Light, however, stood still as a statue in the middle of the room. As soon as the door was locked, Light's voice shook everyone fully awake with its booming luster.

"_The fighters five take on the warriors six. My sister draws near with her Pale Warriors, and I am lost for time...but not for allies. You five have been chosen to accompany me, on the front, with my power and my will. Behold your weapons."_

Light drew her blade and thrust it downward into the floor. It embedded into the oak easily, and twanged with a kind of metallic ring. The ring softly faded away, but the sword began to slowly vibrate. The sword then grew in light until it was a solid form of a shining glow with no edges, and then split into six different forms. On the floor, beside the blade, appeared new shapes of light, which stopped vibrating and took shape as different weapons, all brilliantly colored and gleamed with light.

A long, shining lance, whose edge seemingly had no flaws. It was embedded with gold trim, covered with ivory pearl, and its hilt was filled with rubies. Daleth's current, beaten up, bent lance seemed like a child's toy compared to the beauty of this new one.

There was a long, curving scythe, its shape twisted yet smooth. It had runelike etchings upon its every surface, and its blade was solid gold. The blade itself seemed to reflect light so bright that it nearly blinded Fupac.

In the middle lay a great tower shield, large and sturdy. It was almost a perfect curve, and its handles were intricate and strong. The shield itself was large enough to cover a young child, but it was fit to a man of Chase's size.

Beside the shield lay a long staff, wound in solid ivory oak, and embedded with a single, giant sapphire atop which was surrounded by hard, magical oak. The jewel held a mini rainbow in the jewel, and the rest of the staff was smooth as silk, yet strong as iron. Just below the top of the hilt there were pictures of Januz' pet, Fenrir, carved into the handle.

And finally, at the right, there lay a small holy mace. The club itself was made out of ivory engorged in holy water, smooth and soft, yet sturdy. The handle was solid glass that held the feather of a phoenix in its casing, and the bottom of the mace was made of moonstone, a jewel that greatly enhanced the power of holy magic, Halystaru's specialty.

To see these wonderful weapons made Januz, Chase, and Fupac swoon, but it only made Halystaru and Daleth bitter. The three of them immediately pounced forward and reached for their weapons, which gleamed with a pure glow.

"For Selbina and Windurst." Chase reached for the tower shield and was immediately turned aglow.

"For my brother." Januz picked up the staff and was soon engulfed by a piercing light.

"For some _REALLY _pimpin' weapons!" Fupac grabbed his scythe and was set ablaze in a world of white.

Soon the three lights disappeared, and Januz, Fupac, and Chase reappeared, now clad in their golden weapons and armor. All of their eyes had turned blue and their hair golden and they now stood next to Light as one of her own.

But Halystaru and Daleth simply stared at their own weapons.

Light cocked her head. _"You do not wish to fight evil?" _Daleth sneered at this, but turned toward Halystaru and nodded.

"Take the mace Haly."

She jolted back towards him. "Wha? Why?"

"You will need to trust me on this one."

"But Daleth..."

"Just do it Halystaru. Please."

Halystaru started to try and argue more, but was stopped by the look of hatred on Daleth's face. She sighed heavily and walked toward the mace and stared at it, before finally picking it up with a glum look. Just as the others had been, a light covered her like a cloth, and when she reappeared, she wore holy armor weaponry, her eyes blue, and her hair golden.

Daleth snorted. "You knew that I haven't trusted you since that night. I will not fight with you."

Light pretended to be surprised. _"Why?"_

"You killed my friend. You are the single handed cause of her death."

"_My sister tried to kill her, Carrier, not me."_

"Would she have been after Kidria if you had not tried to take her body?"

A long silence followed that question, but Daleth didn't really expect an answer. He waved an uncaring hand at the silence. "And I know you won't harm me, I'm the 'Carrier' or some crap, ergo, you can't afford to hurt me. But it was not so for Halystaru, so I had her take the mace. I don't want to fight with you for some petty battle; I shall fight on my own accord."

Light simply stared at him as Daleth started for the door. Just as his hand reached the doorknob, a scythe of gold pierced the air and embedded itself in the side of the wall. Daleth turned, and in horror, found a look upon Light's face that scared him very, very much.

"_You found the book."_

"What book?" Daleth's voice squeaked, and he cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"_One thing the book fails to mention, my dear Carrier, is that when I take a body, I also take their memories. It was a mistake to let me take the Taru white mage, because now that I have her, I now have the memories of you reading that book with her in the library. I had only the slight suspicion until now."_

"_And while you are right in one aspect, Carrier, in that I do not wish to hurt you, I take my own safety far more seriously then that of the Carrier's. The Reckoning is a fear to me...and I will not let anyone who knows of it survive. Not even the Carrier himself."_

Daleth backed himself up into the door leading out the room and drew his lance. By now Light and her four warriors had all drawn their weapons and were glowing. They stood battle ready while Light looked pleased at Daleth's attempts to escape. He jiggled the doorknob, but found it locked.

"Shit." Light laughed at him.

"_I hate my sister with a passion. But I hate anyone who ruins my fun far more. I promise to make your death painful, but I can thank you for one thing: I have been looking for that book for centuries. Maybe now I can destroy it once and for all and assure myself a place on this plane that will be never ending."_

Chase, Halystaru, Fupac, and Januz all charged at Daleth while Light simply sat back and giggled like a school girl.

"_Too bad you won't be."_


End file.
